Fight Against the Dying of The Light
by TheLadyBath
Summary: She came on board Babylon 5 hurt, vulnerable and needing help, but she is not just another Earth Force Officer. For some she will be a challenge, for some perhaps their salvation. In all instances, she may bring light where there is currently darkness. The year is 2260, the place is Babylon 5. Mostly canon with a few twist. Hurt/Comfort and Family


**So Babylon 5 is on Amazon now and I have been binge watching it. It was one of my favorite shows when it first came out and while I was not really a kid, I am seeing much more in it rewatching it as a "grown up". I think that it withstood the test of time really well and I still really care for all the characters. That is why I will try to treat them all with great respect and then put them back where I found them no worse for wear. I will change up a handful of things in the canon for the purposes of the story, so hopefully nobody will be deeply offended at that. This story starts sometime before "Ceremonies of Light and Dark" and, if I am very lucky and if there is interest, I hope to take it through to the end of the series (although I may skip some events). I really hope you enjoy this**

Even though Babylon 5 was suspended in space millions of miles away from Earth, it still ran on an essentially 24-hour earth day. This meant that the bulk of the work would happen between 7 am and 6 pm "Babylon Time" and that for the remainder of the time, skeleton crews were left on watch while the main crews slept.

The Earth Force Lieutenant on Duty, Simmons was thrilled to have the responsibility of being the highest ranking officer in the C and C for the "night". It was great command experience with minimal risk of anything happening that would upset Commander Ivanova...and God help him if he had to wake her up. The young man stood at his station sipping a cup of coffee secure in the knowledge that all was right with the world.

"Sir," the Junior Grade Lieutenant at the monitors called out, causing the other man to pivot and almost spill his coffee. "We have a Jump Gate opening."

"What...," Simmons was able to stutter out. This was not supposed to happen. However, but the time the words had left his mouth, the gate was opened. "What the hell is it, Lieutenant," Simmons asked, trying to keep his voice calm as he had seen Commander Ivanova do.

"Identifying now, Sir," the young woman replied briskly. "Victory Class Destroyer...Sir," a pause to wait for the identifier, Sir, its the Chimaera, Sir." There was a note of confusion in the lieutenant's voice. "She's supposed to be in Sector 2304 Beta. What's she doing here."

"Sir," the Communications Officer of the Watch spoke up. "She's hailing us...its on an emergency frequency." The young man listened intently for a few minutes. "They are on their way to rendezvous with another Earth Force Ship, but had encountered some technical trouble along the way. Their doctor died in the accident and they have an injured crew member who needs immediate medical attention. They are asking for permission to dock a shuttle with her on-board. They say they will program auto pilot and ask if we can catch her on our end."

Simmons thought furiously. The Chimaera's techs could program the shuttle with exact coordinates and once she was close enough to the station, the docking crew should be able to grapple her in. "Tell them we will catch her and contact the landing bay. I know they have a skeleton crew, but this is an emergency. Then call MedLab and have an emergency medical team in the landing bay to meet the shuttle."

"Yes Sir," Comm acknowledged.

Simmons stared at his console, dreading what he needed to do next, then he pressed the button.

* * *

The tone was insistent and Ivanova cursed as she reached for the button to activate the comm – voice only. "Commander Ivanova, this is C and C, Lieutenant Simmons," Ivanova noted with some sour amusement that Simmons managed to sound completely calm. "We had a situation that I think you need to be aware of. The Destroyer Chimaera suffered some type of technical trouble while on their way to rendezvous with another ship. They dispatched a shuttle with an injured crew member as her doctor was killed in said incident. She is now in MedLab and Chimaera has already jumped.

Ivanova listened through sleep numbed ears; everything Simmons said was as per protocol. "Very well Lieutenant," she said formally. "Thank you for the update. I will check the logs in the morning for more detail. Good night."

"Good night, ma'am," Simmons said with palpable relief.

* * *

There were three intermittent tones. Sheridan opened his eyes and reached for his Commlink. "This is Sheridan," he said, long experience eliminating any sleepiness from his voice, "Go ahead."

"Captain, please report to MedLab immediately," The voice of Dr. Stephen Franklin had an odd note to it that made Sheridan take special notice.

"All right, all right," he said as he sat up and put his feet on the floor. "Lights. Full," he called out as he reached for his shirt. "What's the emergency, Doctor?"

"Uh, I really think you need to get down here as quickly as you can," Franklin replied

"What...," Sheridan started and then bit off the rest of his statement. It would be faster and better to just get do MedLab. It was not like Franklin to create emergencies when there weren't any. "Ok," he said. "I'll be there in ten."

"It would be better if you could make it five," Franklin said before cutting the link.

* * *

Sheridan was in MedLab within six minutes. His uniform jacket was open and his shirt was not fully buttoned, but nobody was going to comment on these irregularities...not to his face anyway.

He sought out Franklin and saw the doctor by his desk, reviewing a file on his viewer.

"What...," he started to say. Franklin looked up and caught his eye and then looked over at the patient on the gurney.

"She was an emergency transport from the Chimaera," Franklin said. The name brought Sheridan up short.

"The Chimaera," he repeated, a feeling of cold dread settling into the pit of his stomach. "Where...,"

"She's already jumped, Captain. Told C and C, they had to be somewhere," Franklin replied. He was about to say more when the voice of a young woman on the gurney cut through the air.

"No," she cried out, trying to fight of the medics who were attempting to administer painkillers and attach monitors to her arms. "Please no. I need to speak with Captain Sheridan. Its critical that I speak...," her voice faded into a coughing spell followed by gasps as she tried to speak again. "Please," she said again, this time in a weakening whisper.

Sheridan walked toward the gurney and his heart froze in his chest when he saw the young woman. Her blond hair was matted with blood and there was more blood from cuts and scratches on her face. A small trickle at the side of her mouth indicated the potential for internal injuries. He quickly glanced down and say that there were several dark, wet stains on the blanket covering her; the stains appeared to be expanding slowly. "My God," Sheridan whispered as his mind took everything in and he realized at whom he was looking. "My God, no."

As he approached, the young woman's grey eyes focused on him. They were glazed with pain and shock, but there was also recognition and she seemed to relax ever so slightly upon seeing him. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" the formal request was a painful whisper.

"Permission, granted," was Sheridan's automatic reply.

"Captain," the woman's voice was fading and Sheridan drew nearer to hear it. His face was impassive, but his eyes were full of pained concern as he watched the woman carefully. He desperately wanted to reach out, to take her hand, and to order Franklin to treat her, but he did none of those things; she had come on board to deliver a message and he owed it to her and to the captain of the Chimaera to hear it out "Captain Grant sends his compliments and regrets that he was unable to speak with you personally." A painful, shuddering, breath. "He has some important information that he wanted to pass on to you." At that, the young woman handed Sheridan a data crystal which had been clutched in her left hand. Sheridan noticed that both it and her hand were covered in blood, but he took it and placed it in his pocket with no further comment. "Captain Grant also wanted to remind you of the time you were both Junior Grade Lieutenants on the EAS Light Cruiser Persephone. He says...," her voice cut off in a sob of pain, but she regained control, "...the Captain says that it was an honor to serve with you. He also...," but the rest of the message was cut off as the pain finally overwhelmed the woman and her body convulsed. She reached out a blood-stained hand toward Sheridan, "Oh, God, John," she sobbed, "it hurts..it hurts so much."

Sheridan reacted before any conscious thought even crossed his mind. In a moment, he was by the young woman's side, her hand clasped in his. His other hand gently cupped her face and stroked her cheek tenderly. "Shh," he soothed. "Its all right, Sam.," he whispered, using the woman's name for the first time, his voice low and husky with emotion. "Everything will be alright. I'm here. It'll be all right. We will take care of you. You'll be OK. I promise." He continued to speak to Sam, comforting her, but then he felt the grip of the hand that he held weaken and saw the eyes start to close. "Sam," he called out urgently. "Sam. Stay with me. Please. It will be OK. I promise. Just stay with me." He watched her eyes close and her head loll to the side.

"We need to get her into surgery now," Franklin barked and the hand slipped out of his grasp as the medical team wheeled Samantha Sheridan, his youngest sister, into the surgical bay.

 **Please let me know your thoughts on this. I always am very grateful for people who take the time to read my stories. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you**


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